Pride

Don’t start believing the hype.  We live in a culture of hero worship. The great leaders we’ve become to idolize in our American History have been morphed into invincible men and women without weaknesses. However, you can study any leader and discover their weaknesses.  Athletes and performers are instant role models but yet some exhibit moral failures out of the spotlight. Maintain a balance perspective of your accomplishments.  It is wise to keep your potential in your windshield and weaknesses in your rear view mirror as you drive along the journey of success.

Complacency

Ever watch shows on music channels like “One Hit Wonders of the ‘80s”? I’ve witness many “one hit” wonders on the job ride that one success to a height only to fall miserably.  I believe this is a direct result of the hero worship in our culture. Many of our historical heroes are known for one major success. Look closer at them; there was a consistency prior to that huge success.  If you and your team experience success, strive for consistency.

Exemption

This is the second cousin of pride and many leaders begin to feel exempt from the need for accountability.  “I did, therefore I know” becomes a mindset. But nobody succeeds alone. Become an insatiable learner and surround yourself with people who know and do more than you.

Lust

Success can also birth the need for more wins.  If you get a rush out of the accolades and pats on the backs, be careful.  Success becomes like a drug addiction; you’ll do anything to get more.  When your values get compromised and you strive for success at the expense of your people, you have crossed a line. Strive for balance when it comes to pursuing your goals. Make sure your identity is not in your accomplishments but in your values.

What other temptations do Leaders deal with?

One of the most difficult things I have learned is how to take and process criticism.  Nobody likes to be criticized, but if you are a leader – criticism will come.  Part of the leadership identity is determining who to take criticism from and what to do with it. Those of us with a job, receive feedback from our direct manager/supervisor. It is hard to get a poor performance review, but it is necessary criticism when not meeting expectations. Every person should have an inner circle of friends and mentors to filter criticism through.

What to do when you receive criticism:

Proverbs 1:5 [Amplified Bible]

The wise also will hear and increase in learning, and the person of understanding will acquire skill and attain to sound counsel [so that he may be able to steer his course rightly]

Step 1: Hear

Receive the criticism. Do not defend yourself even if you feel justified. Your emotions are kicking in at the time of receiving criticism.  It is not the time to react. Take time to process what you’ve heard. Talk to your inner circle. This is a wise thing to do.

Step 2: Increase in Learning

There was a period in early my career where “tacky” repeatedly showed on my performance review or I heard it from co-workers.  I resisted the criticism because I felt I was a “sista that just kept it real and folks just can’t handle my blackness!” I finally got REAL tired of hearing that criticism not just at work but from friends.  I increased my learning in the area of people skills. I didn’t see the value of changing myself in order to succeed.  Become a lifelong learner of human dynamics if you consistently receive criticism in the area people skills or personality flaws.

Step 3: Acquire Skill

If the criticism is a weakness in skill to do the job, then take the initiative to fix the weakness.  Job shadow someone who’s performing similar work or the job itself. Find mentors, take classes, come up with a plan and talk to your manager. Your company may pay the bill for classes.  Above all, when you come up with your plan talk to your manager; this shows initiative, maturity in handling fierce conversations.  In other words, this earns you cool points.

Step 4: Attain Sound Council

A phenomenon I see in church I also see in Corporate America: negative people find each other, cling together and swap their stories of hardships and pain.  They hang out in packs never attaining anything but a emotional fix of someone agreeing with them. Sound council comes from people who care enough to tell you the truth. They tell you what you need to hear not what you want to hear.  I live and die by my inner circle. I don’t make decisions in a vacuum. This does not mean throw the responsibility of the decision on someone else. I hear the council and still make my own decision going in knowing what dangers may be out there and the repercussions of the decisions. Don’t listen to people who will tell you what you want to hear. That will get you nowhere fast!

Step 5: Steer your course

If you do steps 1-4, you can rest assured YOU are steering your course right!

How do you handle criticism?

We all have moments that change our lives forever. These can range from tragic events to moments where you are so awestruck that you are speechless. 1997 Game 5 of the NBA finals is a moment that left me awestruck. It has become known as the Michael Jordan Flu Game. I’m a huge MJ fan!  I had heard stories of John Elway or Troy Aikman playing with concussions, winning games they don’t remember. This was the first time I had seen anything like those stories. I remember crying very hard starting at half time and continuing through the end of the game.  I was watching greatness become personified and immortalized.  I kept asking myself the following question:

“How can anyone train their entire being to be a winner, so that even if your are mentally out of it, everything kicks in to win?”

What kicks in after the choice is made?  On my flight home yesterday, I read the following poem in Dave Ramsey’s book “Financial Peace Revisited.” I could not have aptly answered the above question. For 12 years, I’ve endeavored to make the wisdom below work for me. The author is unknown, but I hope you get as much out of it as I did.

What habits do you need to develop in order to become successful?